Canada Wins Big: 200% Rise in Permanent Residence Invites for Indian Citizens

The Government of Canada recently issued the Express Entry Year-end Report 2017, outlining huge spikes in legal immigration to the country. The report, which highlights data collected through the country’s application management system for key economic immigration programs, expresses drastic changes in levels of foreign nationals admitted for residency in Canada. After a year and a half of uninviting immigration news out of the United States, and increasing animosity out of the Trump Whitehouse, professionals seeking to work in other countries are looking outside of the United States.

Unlike processing under USCIS, the Canadian Government uses a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) which ranks candidates based on a detailed points system. Under CRS, applications through Express Entry are selected through a dynamic pool based on total accumulated points. Applicants receive additional points for skills and education levels. For example, candidates with French proficiency receive extra points if they score high enough on a French proficiency test.  The Canadian system aims to attract highly skilled workers through a short-term application process, which sets the country apart from the United States. Regardless of the systematic differences between the United States and Canada, the 2017 Canadian report shows a huge spike in legal immigration.

From 2016 to 2017, the Canadian government issued 200% more invitations for permanent residence to natives of India, and over 65,000 citizens of India were admitted to work in Canadian provinces. This spike in immigration from India came with similar spikes in admittance from countries like China and Nigeria. Unlike Canada, the United States has increased wait times for green cards, leaving many waiting years for a decision. As tensions continue to rise over the immigration debate in the United States, countries like Canada are benefitting from an influx of highly skilled workers to the detriment of the United States.